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Maureen Danson (Desert Hot Springs, CA): She is originally from Chicago where she went to school to become a nurse. In 1980 she moved to the Palm Springs, CA area as a live-in nurse for one of her patients and has been there ever since. Maureen took a camera class at a local public access TV station and wrote an environmental documentary about the Salton Sea. The story was a little dry and needed a music video so she wrote a song about Mother Earth. In 2000, she started writing a children's book but the stories felt more like songs. She decided to turn the short stories into children's songs. She and her husband Alex will be spending the summer of 2004 in Paris working on an industrial video. She will also be writing more children's songs with her four-year-old niece Exie as an inspiration.
Dorothy Danzig (Santa Monica, CA): She received her musical education at Julliard and Vassar College before journeying to France to study with Robert Casadesus at Fontainebleau. She has also studied at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and on scholarship with Jakob Gimpel at the Academy for the Performing Arts at the Music Center. At CSUN she won a first prize in chamber music and graduated summa cum laude. She has given Docent lecture-demonstrations of Los Angeles Philharmonic programs for that organization. She has performed on the East coast as well as locally in the Los Angeles area at colleges, concert series, support groups of the L.A. Philharmonic, and in retirement homes. Additionally, she has been heard on radio stations KPFK, WNYC, and WQXR as well as on television in New York. A piano instructor for many years, her other music activities include piano coaching for two films and three television shows. She has composed songs and band arrangements as well as cues for both film and television, including Charlie's Angels, Rookies, and SWAT. She performed Alex Shapiro's Piano Suite on a CD for NACUSA. She is a member of ASCAP, Pi Kappa Lambda, The Dominant Club, and Mu Phi Epsilon. www.myspace.com/dorothyspafardhull
Deborah A. Dessaso (Washington, DC): She is a native of Washington, DC and a published writer and poet. Her essays and poems have appeared in the Washington Post, the Washington Informer, and several local and national literary and small press publications including Obsidian, Parnassus Literary Journal, Writer's Exchange, The Mage, and Dialogue. Her poem “The Tuning” was previously published in The Aardvark Adventurer, April, 1998.
Jim Dewitt (Deceased): An educator for over thirty-one years, he taught Language Arts from the elementary to university levels. He also authored linguistics textbooks. Over 2,000 of his poems and writings appeared in various publications, including journals and university presses, throughout his writing career.
Paul Deiss (Richmond, VA): He is a 1986 graduate of JMU, where he majored in Music Education. He is the current Resident Music Director at Swift Creek Mill Theatre, and an Associate Music Director for Theatre IV and Barksdale. He was written over 30 original one-act musicals, as well as The Magic Flute, which enjoyed a successful run at Barksdale Theatre; Song of Mulan, which ran at Theatre IV’s Empire Theatre; and Magicadabra! (book and lyrics by Tom Width) which premiered at Swift Creek Mill Theatre. His adaptations of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Elves and the Shoemaker have toured with Theatre IV, and his original pop-opera, Rumpelstiltskin, has been produced at Swift Creek Mill. Paul was the 2004 recipient of the Theresa Pollak Prize for Excellence in Theatre. His Drifty the Snowman series has become a holiday tradition. Starring Joy Williams as Drifty, these one-act musical plays have been featured at Swift Creek Mill Theatre since 1993. Many of Paul's other one-act musical plays have toured the country through Theatre IV, one of the largest touring theaters for children in the U.S.A. Christmas with Drifty is a compilation of work, including songs from as far back as 1994. Many more of your favorite songs will be included in Volume Two, to be released in November, 2011.
Katherine Dines (Denver, CO): She is a songwriter, recording and teaching artist, and a keynote presenter. To date, she has created seven albums with accompanying activity guides and songbooks in the award-winning series “Hunk*Ta*Bunk*Ta.” She is affiliated with many arts organizations, and is on the Board of Directors of the Children's Entertainment Association. She has performed in Africa, Australia, Europe, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and on military bases for the U.S. Department of Defense in honor of “Military Child Month.” Various other projects including her songs are the platinum selling and Grammy-nominated A Child's Gift of Lullabyes (1987), Chicken Soup for Little Souls - What a Wonderful World (1998), Dreamship: Lullabies for Little Dreamers (1995), Songs of Faith for Baby (Wal-Mart), and Big Country (WB). www.hunktabunkta.com
Amber Dixon (Surprise, AZ): She has been playing piano for 26 years and composing since age 13. She worked with the Seattle Symphony during composing workshops prior to going to college and still loves to compose to this day. She studied piano and music theory at Northwest University, in Kirkland, WA. She also produced a CD, “From the Heart of a Rose,” in 2001. These original pieces capture her story as told through the piano. Her most recent accomplishment was the publication of her children's music book, "Childhood DreamScapes,” released by Piano Press in January 2010.
Gelia Dolcimascolo (Atlanta, GA): A former modern dancer and the daughter of a concert pianist and composer, she is currently a writing lab assistant and facilitator of The Writers' Circle at Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta. She has taught creative writing through the college's Continuing Education Division. Her poems have been published in Poets, Artists & Madmen, bluemilk, Dancing Shadow Review, Mediphors, The DeKalb Literary Arts Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She has co-authored two poetry chapbooks, Adagio and Encore!, and is preparing a collection of her own poems. Her poetry addresses familial and personal relationships through the arts. Previously published poems included here are Pianos (bluemilk, 1998; Adagio, 1997), Opus (Adagio, 1997), and Papa's Imbalance (Adagio, 1997). “Danse Poetica” was previously published in Adagio, 1997.
Adam Donmoyer (Austin, TX): Adam Donmoyer is an unconventional and unpredictable artist who combines an ear for melody with a pop culture sensibility that celebrates the absurd. His training as a stage performer has helped him craft a piano-driven, modern-day pop cabaret act that has won over audiences of all types, in addition to critical acclaim. The subject matter of his story songs runs the gamut, and they usually include an O'Henry twist that keeps listeners guessing until the end. “Similarities to Tom Lehrer and Randy Newman come to mind when I listen to Adam's music. His approach is warped and wonderful, and he is not afraid to be unique and himself,” said Wilory Records recording artist Terri Hendrix. Through the satire, Adam's songs have been honored for their serious undertones. A song inspired by a schizophrenic cousin who believes himself to be Jesus Christ recently contributed to his nomination for the “Humbie Heart Award” from Humble Time: The Texas Songwriters Radio Showcase. A favorite at Humble Time, Adam often leaves people laughing so hard, they cry. He calls his music “tragically funny.” “Adam's like a car accident: you walk by, and you can't take your eyes off of him,” says producer David Love of Love Monkey Studios. Adam's sensitivity to the spectrum of human feeling, interpreted with and tempered by humor, has acquired attention on MP3.com, where he was highlighted as an “Artist Success Story.” His songs have been featured on various Internet sites and radio shows, adding to his international following. Adam is most enchanting on stage, where he forges an instant bond with even the largest of audiences. His new album “Naughty Bits” was just released. The album will be an opportunity for new listeners and devoted fans alike to hear at home what they love when they see him on stage. Adam has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Otterbein College. He hosts “Songwriters in the Round” on the Austin Music Network. He plays in the house band for Humble Time: The Texas Songwriters Radio Showcase. He served as co-president of the Austin Songwriters Group. He teaches piano at The Austin School of Music. Adam has earned international awards and recognition, including Grand Prize Winner in the ASG 2001 Bare Bones Contest and Finalist in the 2003 USA Songwriting Competition. To learn more about Adam, his new album Naughty Bits, or his awards, visit www.adamdonmoyer.com
Carolyn Downie (Newhall, CA): She is a composer, pianist, writer, and teacher. She studied jazz composition and performance at The New England Conservatory of Music and Berklee College of Music and earned a degree in composition from the California Institute of the Arts ('01). Carolyn has two independently released solo piano albums of original music, “Waves at Bathsheba” and “Etudes.” Currently, pieces from these recordings are being used in various multi-media projects online, in radio and film. Impressionistic, expressionistic, ambient and improvisatory, these albums explore new sonorities and approaches to piano performance, composition and interpretation. These works were inspired by composers such as Debussy, Chopin, Morton Feldman, Bartok, and Ginastera, along with various concepts of traditional and Eastern theory, third-stream composition and the work of modern visual artists. n 2007, she finished writing and producing a book and audio CD of piano pedagogy and music research entitled Piano Traveler, Songbook 1. With this product, she hopes to educate students in a creative and entertaining way. Also with story and theme-based lyrics, music theory, history, and instrumentation information included with each song, this book aims to provide fun imagery, educational topics, and positive messages to students of all ages. She was recently awarded as a Top Finalist in the Unisong International Songwriting Competition 2006 (children's music category). She is also the recipient of Third Place/Honorable Mention Award in the 2005 International Narrative Song Competition for another one of her songs included in this new book. www.carolyndownie.com
Randi Drucker (Long Island, NY): She has been writing music since she was seventeen. She was a back-up singer in a local band in New York. She became involved with the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) over ten years ago, and has been one of the New York coordinators for nine years. One of her songs was a finalist in the ASCAP Lilith Fair songwriting contest.
Mary E. Duncan (Greensboro, NC): She is a poet, author of children's stories, and writes songs for children.
Jim Dunlap (Des Moines, IA): His work has appeared in over sixty small press magazines to date, including Plainsongs, Candelabrum, and the Paris/Atlantic . He has been in the Writers' Digest's Top 100 three times. For the past five years, he has been newsletter editor for his local writers' group and has recently resigned to spend more time on writing and other priorities.
Leonard G. Eckhardt (Lincoln, NE): He has been songwriting for many years and got serious about it about ten years ago. He has written over 500 songs. Various independent artists from all over the United States have recorded nineteen of his songs, and he currently has songs on hold. He also writes original songs for weddings, written and performed especially for the couple. He has received many awards from songwriting contests.
Danny Einbender (Gardiner, NY): He lives in an apple orchard in the Hudson Valley. As a performer, music therapist, and environmental educator, he has sung a million songs. He also sculpts, plants his garden, writes and records the occasional tune, and still finds time to put up about 300 quarts of applesauce every fall. His song It Really Isn't Garbage won sixth place in the 2001 Just Plain Folks Music Awards in the children's song category.
Johnny Elkins (Venice, CA): He has had over seventy songs recorded for CD, film, DVD, iTunes, and television, by various artists including Vanessa Williams, Aurora, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. In the summer of 2007, he had a top 5 single by one of the Europe's Pop-Idol winners. His songs have been on such shows as American Idol, The Unit, Everwood, Grosse Pointe, Amazing Race, and King of the Hill. He has co-written with Andrew Lane (producer on Disney's High School Musical and Hannah Montana CDs), Jon Shanks (producer/writer Kelley Clarkson, Ashlee Simpson, Backstreet Boys) Cutfather & Joe (producers for Christina Aguilera), Hector Delgado (Eminem co-writer/producer), Alexz Johnson. http://www.myspace.com/johnnyelkins
Elaine Erickson (Urbandale, IA): She is a composer and a poet, and teaches piano in her home. She has five books of poems published by Chestnut Hills Press in Baltimore, MD. She has previously been published in The Maryland Poetry Review, Briar Cliff Review, Opus Literary Review, and Lyrical Iowa, among others. She won first place in the Barnes and Noble Contest in Des Moines, IA in April 2003.
Anne G. Estey (Portsmouth, NH): She is a piano instructor and author of numerous piano teaching pieces. Her songs My Raindrop and appear in The Music Box and Other Delights.
Elaine Ezell (DeSoto, TX): She was born in Middletown, Ohio. She is married to James Ezell. Together they had two children. She earned two degrees from Cedar Valley College, one in Composing and Arranging, the other in Performance. As a participant in the Music City Song Festival Contest, she won a top twenty-five award for lyrics and several honorable mentions. Her interest in music began in church choir, where she was a soloist for numerous cantatas and a member of several ensembles. In high school she sang in a mixed ensemble, the symphony choir, and was voted most outstanding female vocalist. She was the featured soloist for commencement as a member of the Tucson Community Chorus. She has written several published songs and is currently developing an Easter cantata. She is also working on other Christian music. Her hobbies include collecting Coke memorabilia.
Sue Fabisch (Nolensville, TN): She opened Mommy Music, Inc. in 2004 because of an obnoxious comment she read in a book. A famous songwriter (who shall remain nameless!) wrote that when he was looking for songs to record, and had exhausted every other option, he turned to "The Housewife Pile." That's the box where they threw the tapes that were mailed in from housewives who thought they could write songs. When she read that, she was FURIOUS!! Here was this accomplished songwriter and his friends lumping every musical woman that had children into the frumpy Housewife Pile. She wanted to show him and the rest of the music business, that not only can mothers be talented songwriters, but they are also real-live, bachelor-of-arts-in-music-degree-holding women that CHOSE to raise children at the same time as pursuing their careers. And there's NOTHING wrong with that! They are every bit as professional as their male counterparts, except that they don't have to breastfeed before running to the studio. Below is a short list of the accomplishments of Mommy Music, Inc. And while everyone keeps calling it a niche market, she would beg to differ. Everyone has a mom, had a mom, or is a mom, right? In 2002 "The MOM of Constant Sorrow," her parody of the wildly successful "Man of Constant Sorrow," garnered airplay on over 200 radio stations and was a hit on the Great American Country (GAC) video network. She opened Mommy Music, Inc. in 2004 with the debut of The Avon Lady Album. The album featured four songs to inspire and motivate Avon Ladies and was marketed by Avon Products, Inc. for their three million representatives worldwide. In 2006, her first full-length CD Music 4 Mommies Volume 1: Songs To Make You Laugh! hit the Top 10 spot on Billboard Magazine's Comedy Chart. In 2007, her song "I Don't Think About It" (co-written with Ilene Angel) was recorded by Emily Osment (co-star on Hannah Montana) for her new movie, RL Stein's The Haunting Hour - Don't Think About It. The song soared up the charts on Radio Disney and hit #1 in record-breaking time. The success of "I Don't Think About It" inspired the album Listen Up!, a collection of CLEAN, fun, and empowering songs for girls. The songs with titles like "Best Friends Forever," "Our Song," and "We All Fall Down" are meant as uplifting messages for girls, with positive lyrics. In 2008, you can hear her on her weekly talk show "Mommy Time Radio" with the lovely Karla Lawson. Her show Motherhood the Musical played to sold-out crowds in Nashville and is ready to move nationwide. "The laughter from the audience every night was crazy! It just proves that Moms DO want to have fun and are willing to laugh at them selves. They just need the right material to make it happen!" In 2010, look for Motherhood the Musical, coming to a theater near you! http://www.mommymusic.com/index.html
David Fagen (Deceased): He was a retired attorney who enjoyed creating humorous satire. He considered himself the illiterate man's Jonathan Swift. He played the flute, specializing in the Baroque scores of LeClair, Blavet, Naudot, Stamitz, and Corelli. His nephew Donald Fagen is of Steely Dan.
Meredith Chapman Falzarano (Santa Monica, CA): She is a songwriter, performing artist, and independent marketing consultant at Studio on Wheels/Recording Truck http://www.recordingtruck.com/ She studied music at Santa Monica College and is originally from Glen Cove, NY.
Donna Fant (Ormond Beach, FL): She has been a regional workshop coordinator with NSAI since 1990 and a member since 1984. She loves writing songs and meeting other songwriters. She has had songs cut in the US and Europe. One of the songs she co-wrote with Ed Snyder and Jimmy Williams, Cheatin' Roses, was performed on the Ralph Emory Show. She has also had a song and a video made in Nashville of Don't Try That at Home.
Jose Feliciano (Fairfield County, CT): Songwriter of the Christmas classic “Feliz Navidad,” learn more about this master musician at http://www.josefeliciano.com/
Mardelle Fortier (Lisle, IL): She has won many contests in creative writing. She won two contests recently in ByLine Magazine, one for poetry and one for fiction. She has about sixty poems in print, in journals such as Chicago Literary Review, Rhino, and Piedmont Literary Review. Some years ago, she was an assistant editor at Rhino, and is now a poetry editor at DuPage Arts/Life published by Benedictine University. She teaches writing at various Chicago area colleges such as the College of DuPage, and has taught in colleges for seventeen years. She holds a doctorate of comparative literature from the University of Illinois. For years she has been a member of Phi Beta Kapa, and is currently president of the Illinois State Poetry Society. “Katerina Witt Competes” was previously published in DuPage Arts Life, Fall 2003. “Skater to Red Violin “ was previously published in Quantum Pulp, Spring 2002. “Composing Poems as Music Plays in a Coffee House” was previously published in Byline Magazine, February 2000.
Martha Frater (Fremont, OH): She is married and a mother of two grown boys. She is a writer of children's stories and a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She gleans her story ideas from her experiences as a school bus driver and playground aid, where there is never a dull moment.
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